DARRACQ, (PIERRE-)ALEXANDRE

born Nov. 10, 1855, Bordeaux, Fr. died 1931, Monaco French automobile manufacturer, one of the first to plan mass production of motor vehicles. After obtaining experience as a draftsman in the Tarbes Arsenal, Darracq founded the Gladiator Cycle Company in 1891. He sold his company in 1896 and for a short time manufactured electric cars. He also had a major role in producing Millet motor bicycles. Darracq's first effort in large-quantity production of automobiles occurred in 1898, when he began building Lon Bolle voiturettes under license. The Darracq Flying Fifteen of 1904 was a production model of exceptional quality. He built racing cars and founded a school for racing drivers; a V-8 racing Darracq was timed at 197.06 km (122.45 miles) per hour in 1906. His organization, which merged with TalbotSunbeam in 1920 and was dissolved in 1952, produced automobiles under the trademarks Darracq, TalbotDarracq, and Talbot.